Well-drilling apparatus



July 24, 1923- S. J. MATHEWS WELL DRILLING APPARATUS 'Filed April 9', 1920 ATTORNEY Patented July 2li, i923.

'jaara SAMUEL J'. v'.MAl-lEIS, OF SAPULPA, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOR TAO B-B ,MCNUFACTRIG AND DRILLING COIVIPANY, A CORPORATION O F DELA\VARE.

WELL-DRILLING- APPARATUS.

Application led April 9,

T all whom t may concern:

Be it lrnown that I, SAMUEL J. ltLiTHnws,

a citizen ot the United States of 'America re- Y siding at the city of Sapulpa, State of Oklahoma, United States of America, have invented a certain new and useful TWell-Drilling Apparatus, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable anyone skilled in the art to which it appertains to maire and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawingsJ forming part oi' this specification.

My invention relates to the type ot well drilling apparatus illustrated in my prior Patent No. 1,077,620 issued Nov. 4, 1913, in which the tool is actuated by motors contained within a casing which is suspended in the well casing by a cable and permitted to descend as the drilling proceeds. lin such apparatus it is important that water be kept on and moving over the surface being cut to promote cutting, reduce wear on the cutters, and carry awa the abraded material. rlie cutters are directly driven by I motors and rotate rapidly, that is to say from about one thousand to two thousand revolutions per minute and this rapid rotation has the eect of throwingupward the water which lies between the cutters and on the surface to be'cut when the apparatus is at rest and preventing water from above from reaching the cutting surface in suilicient quantity for the proper wetting oi this surface. My invention is directed to means for overcoming this 'diicu'lty l y `1n the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a side view showing a well cas` ing, motor casing therein, and the bits or cutting tools all in position in the well. Figure 2 is an enlarged view partly in vertical section and partly in elevation ot the lower portion of the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1. Figure is a horizontal cross section along the line 3 3 ofligure 2. Figure i is a horizontal cross section along the line 41 of Figure 2 and Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the tool holder and cutters shown in Figures 1 and 2.

l represents the well casing which is lowered as the drilling proceeds in accordance with common practice and 2 represents a water tight casing within which is containedv one or more electric motors l(not shown) electric 1920. Serial No. 372,397.

`which are supplied with current iifroni the carborundum. Attached to the cutter ,head4 and surrounding the shaft 4 is a shell 9 which slidingly enters the .extension 10 oi the motor casing. This shell is connected to the cutter head to "form a water tight joint and thus produces waterrcontainer sur-rvrounding the shaft el-,into which water enters from the well casing through opening 11 in the extension of the motor Vcasing and from which it can only emerge through openings 12in the outer periphery oit' the cutter head and passages 15 formed oneither side ot the pilot bit connecting with vertical passage 1e in the cutter head which in turn communicates with horizontal passages 13 in the head. YWithin theshell and either attached thereto or to the shaft fl# is impeller r16 provided with blades 17 so posh tioned with respect .to ,the direction of motion of the shaft and shell as to impel the contained water downwardly and in addition to the impeller 16 obliquely positioned propeller blades 18 are positioned adjacent to the upper ends of ,the openings`12 in the tool holder and curved impeller'blades 19 ,are positioned adjacent the ends of the hori- Zontal passages 13 in the tool holder. For the purpose of restricting flowof water be tween the outer surface of the shell and the interior of the well casing 1, a packing ring 2O is positioned around the shell.k

The operation of the apparatus described is substantiallyas follows: The hole as it is being drilled is kept full ot water which is supplied to the interior of the well casing. rllhe rotation of the cutting head and associated parts including the impelling blades applies a downward pressure lto 'the water contained within the shell 9 and assists inr initiating and maintaining a circulation ot' water downward through the openings in the cutter head and tothe surface to be cut.

The'peripheral speed of the pilot bit is not suliicient to prevent water from reaching thecutting surface operated upon by this bit and the water being supplied to the area operated upon by bits 6.

between `bits 7 is confined between the-bits and the lower surface of the cutting head so that the effect of the centrifugall force caused r by the motion of the water produced by ythe neath the tool holder and thus rapid circulation of the water through the tool holder and over the surfaces to be cut is promoteth' both sets of bits 6 and 7 and the impellers motor casingV and extending downward bev:le

'by Letters Patent of the Unit 16, 18, and 19 contributing to this result. The circulation of the water passing` the bit 6 1s 'upward and out of the well through the .space between the well casing l and the inner surface of the opening` cut by the cut# ter '6, this cutter beingI `larger than the well casing and being vpivotallyv supported to permit withdrawal of the motor casing and cutter head from the well through the well casing. y

Having n fully described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure States is:

l. ln apparatusof the class described, the combination of a well casing, a cuttingv tool,

means forming a water container communicating with the interior of the well casina` and discharging adjacent the cutting tool, and means preventing reentrance of discharged waterinto the well casing.

9,. ln apparatus lof the class described, a cutting` head comprising` a cutting` tool, a toolholder and driving member therefor, said head being provided with spaced peripheral. openings for the passage of water vfrom its upper toits lower surface, said openings being inclined tothe plane of the axis of rotation of the head.

3. In apparatus of the cla-ss described, the combination vof a cutting head carrying; a

plurality of radially extendingspaced cutting,` tools,and means providing a water passage downward through the central portion of the head, the size and positionof the cutting tools with respect to the head being such as to provide a confined space for the passage of water between the tools and between the lower surface of the head and the surface to be cut'whereby water passino' downward through thehead and actuatec by the tools is forced to pass over the surface to be cut. c

4. ln well drilling apparatus: the combinatonof a well casing, a motor casing withinthe well casing andv provided with a downward extension, a driving` shaft in said vond the extension of the motor casing, a cutter head provided with water passages therethrouoh and mounted on said shaft, a shell surrounding' said cutter head andshaft and slidingly fitting into the extension of the motor casing, a packing ring surroundinn' the shell to substantially close the space between the' shell and the well casing, and

shell surrounding; said cutter head and shaft and slidingly fitting;l into the extension of the motor cas1ng,.a packing; ringsurrounding the shell to substantially close the space between the shell andthe well casing, and

means within the shell for applying down-` ward pressure to water contained therein.y

ln testimony whereof, I'have hereunto set' my hand and'aflixed my seal.

SAMUEL J. MA'IHEWS. [1.. s] 

